All-rounders have always been important in putting together a strong team because they provide the ideal balance in both the batting and bowling departments. Any coach and captain’s dream is to have a player who can score a century and take five wickets, especially in a test Match. They provide the ideal foil and play an important role, particularly on away tours.
An all-rounder scoring a century and taking a fifer in the same Test match is a remarkable achievement. The team will be pleased with the player’s performance in both departments, which will instill confidence in him.
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Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin is one of India’s greatest Test match players, and he has demonstrated his all-round abilities against many top opponents. Ashwin has scored a century and picked 5 wickets in the same match a record 3 times. He has done it in 2011 against West Indies, in 2016 against West Indies again, and in 2021 against England.
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Vinoo Mankad
Vinoo Mankad, best known for his ‘mankading’ incident, was at his best against England in 1952, scoring 72 runs in the first innings and following up with a fine 184 at the top of the order in the second innings to follow up his five-wicket haul at an economy rate of 2.68 in the first. India lost by eight wickets to the Sir Leonard Hutton-led England side, despite his efforts.
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Polly Umrigar
Polly Umrigar was in fine form against the West Indies in 1962, scoring 56 runs in the first innings and an unbeaten century of 172 runs in the second, while also picking up five wickets for 107 runs in the 24 overs he bowled in the first innings. Despite his outstanding performances with the bat and the ball, India lost the match by seven wickets.
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Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja is in great form at the moment. Jadeja smashed an unbeaten 175 in the first innings of the ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka in Mohali, helping India to a massive 574/8 total. He then followed up his batting performance with a 5/41 bowling performance, dismissing the visitors for just 174 runs. In the same Test, he became the fourth Indian cricketer to score a century and take a five-wicket haul.
